MODOT Upgrades Snow Plows

It's an annual winter headache, but MODOT thinks they've found a way to make driving on the highways safer. To battle the snow and ice MODOT bought 200 larger and more advanced snow plows.

"We used to use a 12 foot snow plow blade, well now we've gone to a bigger one that's 14 feet wide because when the snow plows at an angle we want to make sure we can cover the whole lane all at once for snow removal as opposed to making multiple passes," MODOT Engineer Eric Schroeter said.

The snow plows also use a new computerized salting system which monitors the amount of salt it spreads on the roads. MODOT estimates the new system saves them about $2,000,000 a year, and the bigger blade decreases the cost of labor.

In the Mid-Missouri area about 175 plow trucks exist which they have gradually been replacing over the years, but this year alone MODOT is going to replace 40 of the old trucks with new ones.

The department thinks they are prepared for any amount of snow Mid-Missouri gets this year.

"The department is ready, our buildings are filled with salt, our trucks are ready to go, our plows are ready to go and when that first snow falls we'll be out there and getting those highways clean," MODOT Public Relations Official Sandra Hentges said.

The department plans to phase out their old trucks, but says it might be a few years before the entire state uses the new ones.